Telugu Association of North America has sent a lengthy rejoinder to the series of reports that were published in these columns in the last one week, claiming that all its activities are transparent and there is no scope for any irregularities.
Fine. But, there are several doubts which need clarification from TANA authorities.
Here they are:
1. On December 24, 2014, TANA representatives presented a “trophy cheque” for Rs 2 crore to Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu towards AP Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Did they present original cheque, too, to the chief minister?
2. No chief minister will reject the money, saying that the government does not require it now and ask TANA to keep the money with in its bank account.
Any donation given to the CM Relief Fund will go into its general pool and will be spent on various relief works, including on Hudhud relief. So, it is obvious that the TANA representatives gave only trophy cheque and not the original cheque to Naidu. Is it not correct?
3. Why was the money lying in TANA account for nearly two years? And why were donors, who were hoping that the money was donated to the CM Relief Fund, kept in dark?
4. TANA says it has authorised its ex-president Komati Jayaram to draw Rs 1 crore from the TANA accounts in India and donate the same along with another Rs 75 lakh collected by him in his personal capacity towards Digital Classroom Project in AP. (Now, it says the project is implemented in Hudhud affected areas of Visakhapatnam).
If that is the case, why didn’t TANA do the same on its own, instead of through Jayaram? Why was the “trophy cheque” presented to the chief minister in the name of Jayaram, instead of TANA? Does it not show Jayaram has siphoned off the funds from TANA accounts for his personal publicity?
5. There is no mention of Rs 4.5 crore pledged by Jayaram to the AP government in the TANA clarification. Has he pledged the money in his personal capacity or on behalf of TANA? If the actual money was not collected, why did Jayaram present the fake cheque to Naidu for Rs 4.5 crore, if not for publicity?
6. TANA is an organisation, not a company. Does it regularly disclose its accounts to its members? Why can’t it disclose its income and expenditure details for public scrutiny?
